Superconducting Double Perovskite Bismuth Oxide Prepared by a Low-Temperature Hydrothermal Reaction

Alothman A, Mohammad S. Hydrothermal Synthesis, Phase Analysis, and Magneto-Electronic Characterizations of Lead-Free Ferroelectric BM2+(Zn, Ca, Mg)T-BFO System

In this study, lead-free BiM2+(Zn, Ca, Mg)Ti-BiFeO3 ceramics are fabricated under eco-friendly hydrothermal reaction conditions at 250 °C. XRD patterns show that all the synthesized compounds exhibit a phase coexistence of monoclinic and tetragonal perovskite-type structures with a morphotropic phase boundary at x = 0.4, with minimum impurity. The calculated average crystallite/grain size of the samples was close to 50 nm at full width at half-maximum of the main peak. The corresponding bonds of the constituent elements were observed by FTIR analysis, which further supports the formation of the local structure. EDS analyses detect all of the elements, their quantities, and compositional homogeneity. SEM data show agglomerated and nearly spherical morphology with an average particle size of about 128 nm. All synthesized ceramic powders revealed thermal stability with trivial mass loss up to investigated high temperatures (1000 οC). The dielectric constant reached its maximum at 38.7 MHz and finally remained constant after 80 MHz for all nanoceramics. Because of the complementary impact of different compositions, the most effective piezoelectric characteristics of d33 = 136 pCN-1, Pr = 8.6 pCN-1 cm-2, and kp = 11% at 30 °C were attained at x = 0.4 content for 0.4BiCaTi-0.6BiFeO3 ceramic. The measured magnetic hysteresis data (M-H curve) showed a weak ferromagnetic nature with the highest moment of ∼0.23 emu/g for 0.4BiCaTi-0.6BiFeO3, and other samples exhibited negligible ferromagnetic to diamagnetic transition. The optical response study shows that the 0.4BiMgTi-0.6BiFeO3 sample yielded the maximal transmittance (50%), whereas the 0.4BiCaTi-0.6BiFeO3 compound exhibited the highest refractive index. The calculated large band gap shows a high insulating or dielectric nature. Our findings demonstrate that the BiM2+Ti-BiFeO3 system, which was fabricated using a low-temperature hydrothermal technique, is an excellent lead-free piezoelectric and multiferroic nanoceramic.

Dielectric and Spin-Glass Magnetic Properties of the A-Site Columnar-Ordered Quadruple Perovskite Sm2CuMn(MnTi3)O12

Perovskite-type ABO₃ oxides show a number of cation-ordered structures, which have significant effects on their properties. The rock-salt-type order is dominant for B cations, and the layered order for A cations. In this work, we prepared a new perovskite-type oxide, Sm₂CuMn(MnTi₃)O₁₂, with a rare columnar A-site order using a high-pressure, high-temperature method at about 6 GPa and about 1700 K. Its crystal structure was studied with synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction. The compound crystallizes in space group P4₂/nmc (No. 137) at room temperature with a = 7.53477 Å and c = 7.69788 Å. The magnetic properties of the compound were studied with dc and ac magnetic susceptibility measurements and specific heat. Spin-glass (SG) magnetic properties were found with T_SG = 7 K, while specific heat, in the form of C_p/T, showed a strong, very broad anomaly developing below 20 K and peaking at 4 K. The dielectric constant of Sm₂CuMn(MnTi₃)O₁₂ was nearly frequency and temperature independent between 8 K and 200 K, with a value of about 50. Cu²⁺ doping drastically modified the magnetic and dielectric properties of Sm₂CuMn(MnTi₃)O₁₂ in comparison with the parent compound Sm₂MnMn(MnTi₃)O₁₂, which showed a long-range ferrimagnetic order at 34-40 K. The antisite disorder of Cu²⁺ and Mn²⁺ cations between square-planar and octahedral sites was responsible for the SG magnetic properties of Sm₂CuMn(MnTi₃)O₁₂.

Giant magneto optical properties in the double perovskites Ba2B'RuO6(B' = Er, Tm)

This study aimed to investigate new double perovskite oxides in search of new promising functional material with properties of interest for high density storage applications. The crystal structure, magnetic, electronic and magneto-optical properties of the rare-earth-based double perovskites Ba₂B'RuO₆(B' = Er, Tm) were investigated through full-potential linearized augmented plane wave method within the context of density functional theory (DFT) in Wien2k code. We used generalized gradient approximation (GGA) and GGA + U approaches to calculate magneto-optical properties, including spin-orbit coupling due to 4f and 4d-electrons. The obtained DFT-optimized structures was cubic (space group: Fm = 3m), and the calculations (GGA + U) showed that the compounds Ba₂ErRuO₆is semiconductor and the Ba₂TmRuO₆is half-metal. The magneto-optical Kerr effect showed pronounced peaks at angles of 17.7^∘and 5.6^∘for an energy around 0.2 eV for both compounds, which could potentially have important applications in the infrared region or for blue and violet radiation.

Perovskite Oxides Prepared by Hydrothermal and Solvothermal Synthesis: A Review of Crystallisation, Chemistry, and Compositions

Perovskite oxides with general composition ABO₃ are a large group of inorganic materials that can contain a variety of cations from all parts of the Periodic Table and that have diverse properties of application in fields ranging from electronics, energy storage to photocatalysis. Solvothermal synthesis routes to these materials have become increasingly investigated in the past decade as a means of direct crystallisation of the solids from solution. These methods have significant advantages leading to adjustment of crystal form from the nanoscale to the micron-scale, the isolation of compositions not possible using conventional solid-state synthesis and in addition may lead to scalable processes for producing materials at moderate temperatures. These aspects are reviewed, with examples taken from the past decade's literature on the solvothermal synthesis of perovskites with a systematic survey of B-site cations, from transition metals in Groups 4-8 and main group elements in Groups 13, 14 and 15, to solid solutions and heterostructures. As well as hydrothermal reactions, the use of various solvents and solution additives are discussed and some trends identified, along with prospects for developing control and predictability in the crystallisation of complex oxide materials.

Group-theoretical analysis of 1:3 A-site-ordered perovskite formation

The quadruple perovskites AA'₃B₄X₁₂ are characterized by an extremely wide variety of intriguing physical properties, which makes them attractive candidates for various applications. Using group-theoretical analysis, possible 1:3 A-site-ordered low-symmetry phases have been found. They can be formed from a parent Pm{\bar 3}m perovskite structure (archetype) as a result of real or hypothetical (virtual) phase transitions due to different structural mechanisms (orderings and displacements of atoms, tilts of octahedra). For each type of low-symmetry phase, the full set of order parameters (proper and improper order parameters), the calculated structure, including the space group, the primitive cell multiplication, splitting of the Wyckoff positions and the structural formula were determined. All ordered phases were classified according to the irreducible representations of the space group of the parent phase (archetype) and systematized according to the types of structural mechanisms responsible for their formation. Special attention is paid to the structural mechanisms of formation of the low-symmetry phase of the compounds known from experimental data, such as: CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂, CaCu₃Ga₂Sn₂O₁₂, CaMn₃Mn₄O₁₂, Ce_1/2Cu₃Ti₄O₁₂, LaMn₃Mn₄O₁₂, BiMn₃Mn₄O₁₂ and others. For the first time, the phenomenon of variability in the choice of the proper order parameters, which allows one to obtain the same structure by different group-theoretical paths, is established. This phenomenon emphasizes the fundamental importance of considering the full set of order parameters in describing phase transitions. Possible transition paths from the archetype with space group Pm{\bar 3}m to all 1:3 A-site-ordered perovskites are illustrated using the Bärnighausen tree formalism. These results may be used to identify new phases and interpret experimental results, determine the structural mechanisms responsible for the formation of low-symmetry phases as well as to understand the structural genesis of the perovskite-like phases. The obtained non-model group-theoretical results in combination with crystal chemical data and first-principles calculations may be a starting point for the design of new functional materials with a perovskite structure.